The Murder Cycle

Ch 17: Fighting the Flames

POV:  Aiden

       When the nurse finally makes her way into the room, I pretend  like many others to be  intrigued by the oh so interesting display of posters about remembering to get regular checkups. The nurse smiles as she introduces herself,using the same tone of voice that most parents use when taking to young children. I can hear her readying her needle as I begin to hope that a unneeded shot effects wouldn't affect me to severely.

    "Are you ready for your shot?" She says. I look up to face her for the first time. Her face is one that I remember way to clearly. It isn't one that you would remember from merely walking down the street. I had spent time with this woman,more than I was willing to spread. And if only for a few mere moments, my mask broke as I seeped deep down into my childhood memories.   

_____ Flashback in Aiden's POV _____

     I could hear the sirens of the ambulance. I was warm. The shock blanket draped around my shoulder was heavy and was drenched in the tears coming from my face. The fire in front of me crackled loud enough to mask my sobs. The ash floating in the air caused my coughing to multiply the longer I sat there. My dad was still in the house.

        The fire chief was trying to hold my Mother back from running back into the house to save him. She pounded on his chest, screaming through the tears. She dropped to her knees and began pleading with him to let her go find him ,but he refused saying that if anyone was to enter the house at this point they'd never be able to make it out in time. She cried out saying "YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO!HE,THAT MAN IN THERE,IS MY REASON FOR LIVING! I'D RATHER DIE THAN JUST SIT HERE. HE MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME." Slowly, her voice was drowned out as the fire squad be gain to panic. One of the firefighters hadn't returned from the flames.

         I looked over to my Mother again. One of the firefighters was pulling on the Chief's jacket yelling about how Sargent Julian was still inside and was unresponsive. He looked at my Mother with worried eyes as he spoke " The man in there was willing the end his life to save you. Don't make that be for nothing Jessica."The chief began to run to the house. A figure began to emerge from the smoke as the weak firefighter fought his way out of the house, stumbling down the driveway before collapsing on the grass. His wife ran out sobbing hysterically crawling towards her husband and in his last few moments she held his hand. Dad never made it out. 

        We held a dual funeral. Everyone seemed to be there. Some of them I knew well and had known my entire life. With others, it took awhile longer to remember their names and with some they never came at all. Most of those people were Dad's work "buddies". They were part of a piece of his life I knew nothing about and never would now that he was gone. That didn't matter right then. All that mattered right now was holding back my tears as I spoke to the crowd. 

        Mom had tried to make a speech. Halfway through reading it her crying became so loud and chocking that she could no longer talk. The Preacher led her to her seat. Now,I was delivering her speech,telling everyone of how longing my father had been,how kind,how caring. When the fear of facing the crowd left my knees weak,I closed my eyes and imagined that he was there next to me whispering "Don't stop now! You're doing great!Look at you! Just ten years old and already captivating the audience." After I finished the lengthy telling of my fathers life summed up on paper, I stumbled to my seat alone. 

        The family of the firefighter delivered their speech next. Four people stood and spoke. Nick, Julian's little brother,spoke first. His Mother followed behind him,barely managing to cope with the idea of losing her son in such a manner as she spoke. Tears rolled down her face. Finally it was his wife's turn. She wore a black gown that hit the floor as she walked to the front of the room and stared at all the faces. Her golden hair fell in curls in front of her as he lifted her head high with pride and spoke about all of Julian's accomplishment now matter had big or how small they had been. Her voice rang out through the funeral as she told tales of the people he'd saved,lives he had changed,leaving me in awe as finally she looked into my eyes ending the speech with the words"Julian was an angel descended to this Earth to save us all from our monsters,our demons no matter where they lurk. He was a hero who'd rid you of your nightmares whether they be a fire,losing a loved one or even yourself. He was a blessing ,but every angel has to return to Heaven." 

        With my father gone,the bills started to pill up. My dad hadn't left much. What money he had left was barely enough to cover his funeral costs and our electricity bill for a month  let alone the drinking habit Mother had developed. 

        Soon enough,we lost our house. We lived in the alley ways for awhile when I was younger. At that age,it seemed like we were there forever as if we would never escape from the mockery and the cold winter winds. Now that I'n older,I realized we were only living there for two years. I was twelve when child protective services finally got sick of my Mother false claims that she was fully capable of taking care of us and tried to take me away. The idea of losing me,the last piece she had left of my Father, snapped something deep within my Mothers soul. That was the night that she jumped of the stone edging in front of me and as she plummeted to the ground....I found no remorse for her. She had created her own hell. She never had to drag me with her. Eventually after all the court cases settled,Child Protective Services finally got their way. I bounced from foster home to foster home for awhile before Julian's wife,Maria,found out and adopted me. She and her new lover James tried their best to make the house comfortable. At first,it took awhile to adjust to living in her house morally because I knew that Julian used to walk those halls everyday,sleep in the same bed that James now layed in. I lived there for two years before the first look of a happy family I'd had in years got torn apart in front of me. I was a freshmen in high school when "Mommy" because "Monster".It was dark and late when I heard James and Maria arguing. I pressed my ear to the door and found out the my "Mother" had been using James and I to stay in the country. She'd acted like she cared about us,like we mattered for years without even the slightest bit of remorse. She'd adopted me in hopes that she could stay in the country. When that didn't work,she convinced James to marry her.

        I packed a bag of clothes when I found out. I bounced the street for a year,earning money under the table until I had enough for a car and could appeal to the court system and win. Then,I drove as far as I could and never looking back.

        Now,my past had came back to haunt me ,and this time,it had taken the shape of a blond haired temptress named Maria.